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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · march · capital · mate · bowl · chest

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mate — a partner
  3. march — the month
  4. capital — money
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. march — the month
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. march — music
  9. chest — a box
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mate — a friend
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com